Gripper trousers and skirt hanger



12, REED 2,193,739

GRIPPER TROUSERS AND SKIRT HANGER 'Filed Jan. 6, 1938 Patented Mar. 12, 1940 optics I 6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved hanger formed of wire especially adapted for supporting trousers or skirts by frictional engagement.

An important object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive device formed of two sections or parts each comprising a single strand of wire so formed and connected that wearing apparel, especially trousers and skirts, may be frictionally supported thereby to hang at full length to prevent the article from becoming wrinkled or creased.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hook formed on one end of one section and provided with a novel latch formed integral therewith to engage a portion of the other section to releasably retain the gripping jaws in engagement.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following specification of which the draw ing forms a part, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of one of the sections.

Referring more particularly to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout, Ill designates generally the hanger comprising the two sections II and I2 each formed from a single strand of wire.

One end of section II terminates in a hook I3 by which hanger Iil is supported. The shank of hook l3 extends up through a loop I4 in the opposite end of section I I and is then bent downwardly and then upwardly to form the angular portion i5 forming a latch for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The shank of hook i3 is loosely disposed in loop I4 and by means of this play and due to the resiliency of the wire strand forming section II, hook I3 has a limited pivotal movement relatively to loop M.

From the shank of hook I 3 and from loop M the wireiorming section i I is extended outward- 1y to form the horizontal portions I6 which are bent downwardly to form the legs ll which are in turn bent intermediate of their ends to form the rearwar-dly extending loops IE3. Legs IT at their lower ends are bent outwardly then downwardly and then inwardly to form the ears I9 the ends of which terminate inthe intermediate portion of the strand comprising the section Il.

Section 52, as best seen in Figure 4, comprises the horizontal portion 2| having its ends bent downwardly to form the legs 22 which are offset outwardly intermediate of their ends to form the shoulders 23 which extend through loops I8 to pivotally connect sections II and I2. Legs 22 at their lower ends terminate in the outward- 1y extending substantially rectangular ears 24 three sides of which substantially correspond in shape and size to the corresponding sides of ears I9.

As best seen in Figure 1, ears I9 and 24 are positioned to abut against each other when sections H and I2 arepivotally connected, and the pairs of ears i3 and. 24 combine to form the gripping jaws designated generally 25. The upper parts of legs I2 are shorter than the corresponding parts of legs ll so that portion 2] is beneath portion l5. Loops I8, which extend rearwardly as seen in Figure l, pivotally support section I2 to the rear of section II and spaced therefrom so that when jaws 25 are in engagement there is sufficient space between portions I6 and 2! to receive the latch member I5 which engages against the inner side of portion 2| to hold it away from' portion IE to thereby hold jaws 25 in engagement. The shank of hook I3 is mounted sufiiciently loose in loop l4 so that the connection together with the resiliency of the wire permits hook I3 to be swung sufficiently, at right angles to the plane of sections I I and I2, to allow latch I5 to swing upwardly and out of engagement with portion 2i to release jaws 25.

From the ioregoingit will be obvious that the cuiis of a pair of trousers or the waistband of a skirt, for example, could be placed between jaws 25 when they were not being held in engagement by latch I5, after which latch I5 could be swung downwardly to engage the inner side of portion 2! to clamp jaws 25 together to frictionally support the article. By swinging hook I3, as heretofore described, latch it: can be disengaged from portion 2! to release jaws 25 to permit removal of the article. i

From the foregoing it will be seen that the operation of the device depends upon the resiliency of the sections permitting engagement and disengagement of the latch and also upon the inherent resiliency of the Wire to allow latch 85 to swing relatively to section II of which it forms a part; so that various changes and modiiications in the construction of the device as disclosed while retaining its principle of operation are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A trousers and skirt hanger comprising a section provided with depending ends, said section having a horizontal portion at its top; a second section bent to form a substantially rectangular frame having outwardly extending ears in its lower part to engage the depending ends of said first section, one end of said frame being extended to form a hook, the shank of said hook being bent to form a latch member; said sections being pivotally connected intermediate of their upper and lower ends, said lower ends forming gripping jaws, and the horizontal portion of said first section being positioned to be releasably engaged by said latch member to retain said gripping jaws in engagement.

2. A wire apparel hanger comprising two sections each formed of a strand of wire, said sections having depending legs terminating in gripping jaws, the legs of one section being bent intermediate their ends to form horizontal shoulders, the legs of said other section being bent to form loops to engage said shoulders to pivotally connect the sections, one end of one of said sections being extended to form a pivoting hook, and a latch formed in the shank of said hook to engage a portion of said other section to retain the gripping jaws in engagement.

3. A wire apparel hanger comprising two sections each formed of a single strand of wire, said sections being provided with depending legs, said legs being bent intermediate of their ends to provide loosely engaging loops and shoulders for pivotally connecting said sections, said legs terminating in gripping jaws, one end of one of said sections terminating in a pivoting hook to support the hanger, a loop formed on the opposite end of said section for loosely engaging said hook, and the shank of said hook having an oblique portion disposed at an acute angle to the free end of the hook to provide a latch to releasably engage a portion of said other section to retain the jaws in engagement.

4. A hanger comprising two sections each formed of a single strand of wire, said sections being pivotally connected intermediate of their ends by means of integrally formed interengaging loops and shoulders, the lower ends of said sections being bent to provide clamping portions adapted to frictionally engage an article to be supported, one of said sections terminating in a loop at one end and in a supporting hook at its other end, and the shank of said hook, loosely engaging said last mentioned loop for pivotally mounting the hook and being bent to provide an angularly disposed portion to engage a portion of said other section to retain the clamping portions in frictional engagement.

5. A device as in claim 4, said first mentioned section being bent intermediate of its ends to form said first mentioned loops, and said last mentioned section being bent to provide ofiset portions forming said shoulders to loosely engage in said first mentioned loops to pivotally connect said sections.

6. A hanger comprising two sections formed of wire, said sections having depending legs, clamping portions projecting outwardly from the lower ends of said legs and adapted to engage an article to be supported, said legs being pivotally connected intermediate of their ends to pivotally connect said sections, and one of said sections being provided with a pivoted latch member, formed integral therewith and of substantially V-shaped form, to releasably engage a portion of said other section to retain said clamping portions in frictional engagement.

DONALD R. REED. 

